Prosek's Ultimate Summer Reading List: 2024 Edition

It’s that time of year again! Prosek’s annual summer reading list is live. Across the agency, Prosek readers are recommending the latest mystery, thriller and business reads. Take a read and let us know what books you’re diving into this summer.

Ember Larregui, Account Executive, Boston

Book: Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

Genre: Mystery, fiction

Why she loves it (and you will too!): A light-hearted murder mystery centering around a granddaughter-mother-daughter trio who resolve family drama and learn to depend on one another. Taking place on the sunny California coast, this is an easy beach read (and perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls)!

Kristina Corso, Vice President, New York

Book: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Genre: Mystery, Humorous Fiction

Why she loves it (and you will too!): This book is equal parts mystery and heart-warming, and a good pick for animal lovers! The narration is unique, and it’s quite funny while still managing to pull at the heartstrings.

Kaitlyn Amaro, Senior Associate, Campus Recruiting, New York

Book: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Genre: Thriller

Why she loves it (and you will too!): If you want a thriller that you won’t be able to put down, this is your book! The Housemaid is a psychological thriller about a live-in housemaid with a secret past who discovers that her employers have secrets of their own…It is so bingeable, with plot twists that will keep you on your toes (think Gone Girl). Highly recommend.

Abby Rex-Groves, Senior Vice President, New York

Book: Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

Genre: Thriller

Why she loves it (and you will too!): This twisted tale kept me on the edge of my seat! It’s equally as dark, as it is compelling.

Josh Hess, Account Supervisor, New York

Book: Circe by Madeline Miller

Genre: Historical fiction, fantasy

Why he loves it (and you will too!): Written in the first person, Circe’s story intersects with some of the most well-known characters in Greek mythology as she navigates neglect and loneliness, bringing the reader along for her heartache and triumphs. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys the stories behind Greek mythology!

Emily Tracy, Managing Director, New York

Book: The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza

Genre: Mystery

Why she loves it (and you will too!): Jo has been a good friend for the last 20 years and I’ve loved watching her transition her career as a gossip / celebrity columnist at the New York Post to a NY Times bestseller. Her latest novel gets back to her original Italian roots, and was inspired by her own family’s murder mystery.

Alex Schaffer, Senior Account Executive, New York

Book: Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg

Genre: Short Stories / Fiction

Why she loves it (and you will too!): This book is a collection of quirky short stories from the creator of BoJack Horsemen, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, about life, love and the topics that keep us awake at 3 am. This book made me laugh and cry at the same time, and provided a layered, beautiful perspective on human nature.

Josh Clarkson, Managing Director, Los Angeles (with five ideas!)

Book: Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988 by Harold Lee Wise

Genre: Contemporary history

Why he loves it (and you will too!): This is a fun to read, short, accessible look at a relatively recent and interesting part of American and Middle East history that many folks aren’t familiar with – when the US reflagged Kuwaiti tankers during the Iran/Iraq war to protect them from Iranian attacks. It is a good example of how we used our military strength to achieve a worthy goal, rebuild our relationships with allies and avoid broader escalation.

Book: Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt

Genre: Business

Why he loves it (and you will too!): I usually hate “how to be better at business” or “self-help” type stuff, but I liked this book as it called out the silliness of so much of modern corporate speak calling everything strategy/strategic for the sake of it – something worth bearing in mind when we engage with clients.

Book: The Counting House by Gary Sernovitz

Genre: Fiction, but you will learn life stuff

Why he loves it (and you will too!): This book is about a small liberal arts college OCIO ruminating on the meaning of life, but it alternates chapters between his musings and pitch meetings with managers. The latter point is a great, fun way to get a good survey of the trendier parts of alts., with a realistic view of what LPs think of the “differentiated pipeline, generational opportunity, uniquely rigorous underwriting, proprietary value creation framework” stuff that clients tend to say.

Book: Founding Fortunes by Tom Shachtman, Sean Patrick Hopkins, et al.

Genre: Nonfiction history

Why he loves it (and you will too!): The is a really fun book about the financial aspects of the American revolution and early USA thru the war of 1812. I loved it and have been meaning to cook up some unhinged LinkedIn posts about how private credit created America.

Book: Rogue Heroes by Ben Mcintyre

Genre: Nonfiction history

Why he loves it (and you will too!): This book is about the formation of the SAS/LRDG during the North Africa campaign in WWII. It features really cool stories about individual acts of bravery/missions that fit into a larger strategic narrative. Importantly, it includes lots of stuff about people doing incredible things in 100+ degree heat, so if you find yourself physically exerting in very hot temperatures, it is very encouraging that if some guy could walk 100km with barely any food and water, you can make it 20 miles with 4 liters of water and electrolytes and a ton of snacks.